I don’t know whether it was because I was really hungry on the road or because the pasta in this shop was really delicious. Everyone in Lao Feng’s family enjoyed the meal.
Even Li Ming couldn't help but pick up the bowl and drank the entire soup.
Even the woman took a spoon and drank most of the bowl of soup in one gulp.
The way the guests eat is the greatest compliment to the host.
Old Wei asked cheerfully:
"How is it? I didn't lie to you, did I? In this area, including Xicheng, the food in our restaurant is also top-notch."
Lao Feng burped and raised his thumb:
“This craftsmanship is really incredible! It’s much better than when I was in the army.”
“Hehe! That’s not true. In order to open this store, I went back to Nanxiang to learn a lot!”
After eating and drinking, Lao Wei, who was the most agile, led a group of people and left through the back door.
After about walking a stick of incense, we came to a village built on the mountain.
“Have you seen that hilltop?”
Lao Wei pointed to the east. He could see a hillside, or to be precise, a high plateau, rising abruptly from the ground.
His momentum is like a crouching tiger, looking at this side eagerly, as if he will get up and jump over the martial arts water in the next moment.
Lao Feng was also the leader of the army. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but admire:
"It's a good place for military strategists to fight for, and it's a dangerous place on the Baoxian Road. If we station troops here, then Hanzhong..."
Then he thought of something, frowned and shook his head: "No, it's a pity."
Lao Wei didn't mean to say this, but he was a man who retired from the army after all. When he heard what Lao Feng said, he couldn't help but curiously asked:
“What’s a pity?”
"It's a pity that we are on the west bank of Wugong River." Old Feng pointed to the high plateau, "If we live on the east side and station troops on it, Baoxie Dao soldiers will not be able to go out."
“But since it is located on the West Bank, its role is somewhat useless.”
Lao Feng continued to explain:
“Because we are separated by the Wugong River, if we really want to station heavy troops on it, it will be very easy for the enemy to use the Wugong River and the Wei River to cut off the connection with the east.”
What is there on the east side of Wugong Water?
There is Xicheng.
After passing Yicheng and going down the Wei River, we arrived at Chang'an.
That high place seems dangerous, but in fact it is a half-dead place for the defenders of Guanzhong.
Because there are Qinling Mountains in the south, Wugong River in the east, and Weishui River in the north. If we station a large number of troops there, we will really be cut off from the way back east, so we can only go west.
It would be really fatal if the enemy took advantage of the geographical advantage to control the troops in Wuzhangyuan and sent some of his elite troops to the east.
"That's okay, Old Feng!" Old Wei praised, "There were so many brothers back then, and you were the only one who was promoted to lead the army. It really makes sense."
In front of his brothers, Lao Feng didn't need to be too modest. He just glanced at his son.
I found that he was also listening attentively, and then I nodded secretly.
He said so much, naturally he did not mean to express himself, but took the opportunity to teach his son.
This means reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles.
Otherwise, how could scholars talk about study tours?
With his heart moving, Old Feng looked up to the west again:
“If my guess is correct, that’s Wuzhangyuan, right?”
The prime minister stationed himself at Wuzhangyuan, facing Sima Yi across the Wugong River, and held back the army of Wei thieves.
The prince led his cavalry across thousands of miles, sweeping across Jiuyuan and Bingzhou Hedong, establishing the battle situation in one fell swoop.
This battle completely reversed the strength and weakness of the Han thieves. Who in the world doesn't know this?
"General Feng is General Feng. You must not accept it."
Old Wei once again praised, and without any further excuses, he pointed to the high **** behind the village, "This is where the traitor set up camp, facing the Prime Minister across the water."
The hillside behind the village is also a high plateau. Although it is not as impressive as Wuzhangyuan, it is the only high point on the east coast that can compete with it.
“So our village was actually built using the traitor’s camp, which saved us a lot of effort.”
Old Feng nodded. No wonder the layout of the village looked quite similar to that of a military camp, including a watchtower.
The village where Lao Wei and the others were located was naturally unable to occupy the camp of Sima Yi's 200,000-strong army. Their village only occupied a small part.
"Over there," Old Wei pointed to the other side of the mountain, "is the guest house built in the meeting. Further north, to the edge of the Wei River, is the warehouse."
The so-called warehouse is naturally the warehouse of Xinghan Hui.
“But this time I definitely can’t let you live in a guest house. You’ll live in the village. I’ll call all my old brothers together in the evening.”
The roads in the village are kept very clean, and there is no mess at all like ordinary villages.
As you pass by the houses on the road, you can see that almost every household raises some chickens, ducks, geese and other poultry.
From time to time, a guard dog would run out and bark at the group of strangers through the fence.
There are several houses, and women can be seen squatting in the vegetable beds in the yards to clear weeds.
Occasionally, a few butterflies flew by, causing children to chase and play.
There are also women sitting in the shade at the door, watching the children running around while knitting sweaters skillfully, the needles and threads in their hands dancing in the air, like butterflies flying through flowers.
There are also old people sitting in the shade of the trees in the village, gently shaking their fans and telling stories to the children around them.
Being in such a peaceful and peaceful village, one can almost forget that there are still wars and rebellions outside.
Li Ming followed the crowd. As he passed by from a distance, he could faintly hear what the old man was saying:
"Feng Junhou drew his sword and shouted: My flag will be erected here, and I will not take a step back! When the thieves come, I will pick up this three-foot sword and die with the thieves. Since the Northern Expedition, I have never heard of a general in the army who died for his country. , if so, please start from eternity!”
"But when I saw the bandits coming together, Marquis Feng was wearing armor and riding a horse, holding a heavenly sword. A cold light suddenly appeared. He raised the sword and dropped it. His clothes and armor were flat. The bandits' blood was like a fountain. I followed closely behind Marquis Feng and killed all the bandits. General, penetrate the siege..."
"Wow!"
All the children could not help but exclaim, all showing admiration.
Li Ming, who was passing by, paused for a moment, his steps involuntarily slowed down, and doubts arose in his heart:
Then Mr. Feng, is he really that powerful?
Feng’s words to encourage the soldiers in the battle at Jieting have already spread throughout the world.
I have to say that anyone who hears this will have their blood boiling and want to scream.
And Li Ming's brother-in-law came from Nanxiang, and naturally he praised Mr. Feng more highly in his daily speech.
However, for so many years, he has always been prejudiced against his martial arts brother-in-law.
Not to mention that there are many people in the Li family in Shu who regard Mr. Feng as an evil ghost or beast.
So Li Ming never believed his evaluation of Feng Da Sima.
Feng's military strategy must have few opponents, there is no doubt about this.
It is also true that Mr. Feng has led troops for many years and fought on the battlefield without a single defeat.
It is definitely impossible to say that he has no martial arts skills.
Don't talk nonsense about how you can strategize and win the battle just by waving your feather fan and sitting in command.
These days, all scholars carry swords and travel around the world.
Leading the army in battles all year round, how can you survive without a strong body?
Not to mention that Feng did not fight thousands of miles away, but led his army to fight thousands of miles away.
But if it is true as the old soldier said, wearing iron armor, raising his head to the sky, rushing into battle to kill the enemy as if he were destroying dry matter, he is not inferior to the five tiger generals...
Li Ming couldn't help but feel a little dazed, as a figure seemed to flash before his eyes.
The Liangzhou Examination was also the first exam in Dahan, setting a precedent for Dahan to select talents.
Li Ming graduated with excellent results in that exam.
The examiner of that exam was none other than Feng.
So many years have passed, but Feng stood on the high platform and looked down at many students.
Behind him stands a stone wall inscribed with the words "Establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, carry on the unique knowledge for the saints, and create peace for all generations."
This scene, especially that figure, has remained fresh in his memory for so many years.
That figure is so high and unattainable that it even makes people feel an irresistible feeling of powerlessness:
Can the disciples of Shanmen really be so prepared in both civil and military skills that they can do whatever they want?
As a descendant of the Li family in Shu, facing the current situation of the Li family, it is impossible to say that there is no resentment towards Feng.
Not to mention that my elder sister was forced to marry a warrior.
In the past, for such a warrior, not to mention marrying his sister, if he could see her and say a few words, it would be like smoke rising from his ancestral graves.
Let alone asking my sister to give him children.
But every time he thought of Mr. Feng, the shadow that would never dissipate over the heads of the aristocratic family, Li Ming felt a little frightened, discouraged, and even desperate.
Li's family may still have a chance to rise again, but so what?
They just followed the path designated by Feng.
This simply cuts off the spirit of the aristocratic family from the root.
The aristocratic family wants to regain its former prosperity, unless, unless, the world is overturned again, and Liu Han is not prosperous.
Just thinking about the world today and the various forests in Jihan, Li Ming shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Children of aristocratic families may be said to be full of talents in the eyes of the world.
But compared to the disciples of Shanmen who can reverse the general trend of the world, they are much inferior.
How can we compete with it?
Thinking of this, Li Ming sighed secretly:
That’s all, it’s not my turn to worry about such major events that are related to the direction of the world.
Let's live the present life peacefully. After all, as long as he is willing to bow his head, Ji Han will still have a lot of ways for people like him.
I have been working for Ji Han in these years, precisely because I was in the game and saw everything that happened to Ji Han.
It became more and more clear to him that the general trend of the world was almost impossible to reverse. Now he has seen clearly that his brother-in-law just followed the general trend and had the opportunity to marry his sister.
At present, the general trend has been established, it is difficult to change again, that’s it, that’s it...
Li Ming’s psychological change is not surprising.
Because to this day, even among the descendants of the Li family in Shu, there are still many people who have this mentality.
And the Li family in Shu is just a small microcosm of the great Han Dynasty and even the famous families in the world.
“Adi doesn’t like it?”
A sister’s voice woke up Li Ming who was immersed in his own world.
He suddenly looked up and realized that he had followed the crowd and unknowingly arrived at a small farmyard.
This small courtyard is basically the same as other farmyards in the village. It is very clean and quiet.
You don’t even need to clean up, you don’t even need to add anything to your home, and you can live there for a long time.
Not only Lao Feng, but his wife was also very satisfied.
But he didn’t expect Li Ming to shake his head.
Facing everyone’s gaze, Li Ming suddenly felt embarrassed and waved his hands quickly:
“No, no, I was distracted for a moment and thought of other things. My sister likes it here, so why should I say anything about it?”
Lao Feng then nodded and said:
“Staying in a hotel is not as comfortable as staying here.”
With his status, he can naturally live in the internal guest house of Xinghan Club.
But no matter how much better the internal guesthouse is than an ordinary hotel, there are still strangers living on both sides.
How can you feel comfortable having a yard to yourself?
Without paying much attention to Li Ming, Lao Feng settled down his wife and children, boiled water and washed and bathed. He didn't see much work, and the sky had already darkened.
After eating the food sent by Lao Wei and others, and arranging the family to sleep, Lao Feng took advantage of the darkness and walked out of the small courtyard, checked the direction, and then stepped forward.
In this era, except for the wealthy who can stay up all night to have fun, even the rich and wealthy mostly sleep with their wives and concubines in their arms when it gets dark - oil lamps don't use oil, right?
With no one to guide you, you can see a place with lights on in the distance.
As soon as you push the door open, a wave of heat mixed with the smell of wine and meat hits your face.
“Lao Feng is here.”
“Here you come? Come and sit down, I’m waiting for you.”
Facing the smoky smell inside, instead of frowning, Old Feng closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
This is the taste, I miss it all the time!
Step forward and squeeze into the crowd, grab the bowl from someone’s hand, and drink it all in one gulp:
“Color!”
Wine is not actually good wine, it can even be said to be bad wine.
Although these soldiers who retired from the army all have some wealth and no worries about their livelihood.
It’s not that there is no way to buy good wine. After all, I was ordered to open a shop in this strategic place.
But this good wine costs a lot of money!
After all, it is a good thing that only noble people can enjoy.
“I thought you couldn’t get used to drinking.”
Old Feng snorted and glanced sideways at the speaker:
“Your Aweng is still leading troops in the army. No matter how delicious it is, can it be compared to the food cooked with a horse spoon?”
Everyone burst into laughter.
The food cooked with a horse spoon in the army is really just to fill the stomach.
The Han army naturally had no shortage of food and clothing.
But no matter how good a cook is, it is impossible for him to have the time and mood to cook delicious meals for thousands of soldiers waiting to eat during the march.
One spoonful of stew is enough to fill your stomach.
The opportunity to eat good food in the army is usually when going into battle to kill thieves.
Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the food served in the army for most of the time is vastly different from the meat and wine in front of us.
Lao Feng's words and actions after he came in, invisibly made his attitude clear.
Lao Feng is still the same Lao Feng as before, and he has not thrown away the friendship of comrades.
For a time, the atmosphere in the room became a little more lively.
After a few bowls of wine, the wine is in the ears and the chatterbox is open.
Talk about the past military affairs, one person said that I hacked to death eighteen thieves with one sword, and the other said that I killed twenty-eight thieves with one shot...
Looking at it, Lao Feng looked a little envious, and said to Lao Wei next to him with some emotion:
"I heard that some of the old brothers from Nanzhong were not willing to move here after they retired from the army. Now I see, the way you live your small life makes me envious."
Old Wei smacked his lips, his expression a little complicated:
"Isn't it true? If it had been anyone else, they would have gone to Chang'an for no reason. Fortunately, everyone followed the lord and came out of Nanxiang."
“The prince says one thing, but we won’t say two things. The prince asks us to go east, but no one will go west.”
The veterans of the Nanxiang Clan are not ordinary veterans.
That person has received a certain education, traveled all over the country, conquered the east and west, and has no shortage of knowledge and vision.
The most important thing is a group that is both organized and disciplined.
No matter how prosperous Nanxiang is, the scope and territory are so large, and it is impossible to accept so many veterans without limit.
It is impossible for the imperial court to allow such a group to stay together in the same place.
So try to break them up as much as possible, that's a must.
At this time, Feng Junhou's supreme prestige in the hearts of Nanxiang children was reflected.
The government in Nanxiang dared to ask the veterans and their families to leave Nanxiang. Even if the gate of the government was not torn down, it would be properly poured with manure.
At that time, Nanxiang was called a place where demons danced wildly. Was it really called that for nothing?
But if the government took the official document issued by the Central Protectorate (at that time, Feng was acting as the Central Protector), there would be Feng's fake autograph on it (General Guan signed on his behalf).
These veterans who have just retired from the army can immediately go home, pack their bags and set off.
Just because they believe that kings and princes will never treat the children of Nanxiang badly.
It turned out later that the prince was really doing it for the good of everyone.
Because they had just left, the emperor moved the capital to Chang'an, and the colleges and workshops in Nanxiang basically moved with them.
Then, the imperial court divided the fields and land in Guanzhong.
Not to mention moving here, a few old brothers who have passed away can still get together to eat and drink together.
What else are you planning?
Lao Wei was also drunk. Hearing this, he looked sideways at Lao Feng:
“Why don’t you step back now too?”
Life is indeed good, but compared to Lao Feng, even if it is not heaven and earth, it is still far behind.
After all, Lao Feng can lead an army to defend one side.
No matter how hard you work, you will never be able to protect your wife and make him a son by virtue of your military service - even if you recommend a child to enter the Royal Academy, it is already considered a title.
“How can I dare to retreat even if the ruler has no orders?”
Old Feng tugged at the article, and then looked at his drunken comrades, "Actually, in addition to visiting my old brother, I came here this time to ask everyone's opinion on something."
"Um?"
Lao Wei's drunkenness seemed to disappear immediately. He even sat up straight and his eyes were bright:
“But did the superiors send someone alive again?”
When the Han Dynasty regained Guanzhong, the prime minister suddenly died of illness, and the kings and princes were ordered to do so. Although they stabilized their position, there was no great chaos in Guanzhong, but there were so many remnants of soldiers, rebels, and bandits.
At that time, not only those who dared to be ordered to serve as county magistrates, but also those who dared to be ordered to serve as county magistrates, had to risk their lives.
So these old soldiers who came to settle in Guanzhong said they had retired from the army, but in fact they helped the local officials a lot.
This book is also another purpose of the imperial court.
These soldiers were not allowed to form a group in Nanxiang, but given the situation in Guanzhong at that time, these soldiers could help the local area quickly stabilize the situation.
It was precisely for this reason that when he heard Lao Feng’s words, Lao Wei immediately asked:
Perhaps there is another lively person coming down from above?
The job is great!
Back then, when I was helping the local government stabilize the situation, those with nimble hands and feet would have better luck and become a county lieutenant. If I had less luck, I would be able to become a pavilion chief or something like that.
There is no way, the Nanxiang children who retired from the army are so popular.
Educated people and uneducated people are not on the same level.
The imperial court is also happy to let them spread out and shine in different places, as long as they are not grouped together in Nanxiang.
“It can be said that it is, or it can be said that it is not.”
Lao Feng poured himself another bowl of wine, took a big sip, and said thoughtfully:
“The imperial court intends to establish Tongjunfu in each county. Those in the county who are willing to serve the country through the army can be incorporated into the Tongjunfu, exempt from taxes and corvee, and specialize in military affairs..."
"Is the imperial court going to change the military system again?"
"It cannot be said that we need to change it again," Lao Feng shook his head. "The previous military system reform only changed the central army. Now it should be that we want to change the local county army system. This time, it should be regarded as continuing the reform."
“Then what does this have to do with us?”
Someone interrupted and asked.
Lao Wei was agitated and stared at Lao Feng fiercely.